ADAIR (AP) _ Army Warrant Officer George Swartzendruber, who died when his helicopter was shot down in the Persian Gulf War, had always loved flying, his mother said Tuesday from her home in Adair.  "George was reserved and quiet as far as talking _ unless it came to airplanes. Then he could talk all day,'' Naomi Swartzendruber said of her son. He loved to tell his uncles and cousins about the Blackhawk helicopter he flew.  Naomi Swartzendruber said military officials visited her and her husband, Richard, Sunday morning to tell them of the soldier's death . He died Wednesday when his Blackhawk helicopter crashed after being hit by enemy fire, Naomi Swartzendruber said.ssary support from other units as needed. She said every precaution was taken for his safety.  Swartzendruber, 25, was born in Kansas and had lived for five years in Tulsa.

The Battle of Locust Grove was a Civil War skirmish fought near Locust Grove in present Mayes County, Oklahoma. At sunrise on July 3, 1862, a Union force of approximately 250 men under the command of Col. William Weer overwhelmed a Confederate unit of similar strength led by Col. James J. Clarkson. Weer's troops, consisting of elements of the Ninth Kansas Cavalry and the First Regiment of the Indian Home Guard, were detachments of the Indian Expedition that Weer had led from Kansas into Indian Territory. Surprised by the Union attack, Clarkson's men offered weak resistance. Many fled and were pursued by Union troops throughout most of the day. About one hundred Confederates died and around one hundred, including Colonel Clarkson, were captured along with sixty wagons, sixty-four mule teams, and a large quantity of supplies. Union casualties totaled three killed and six wounded. The importance of the battle of Locust Grove was its impact upon Confederate morale in the Cherokee Nation. The Confederate soldiers who escaped capture at Locust Grove retreated toward Park Hill and Tahlequah, causing panic that resulted in large-scale desertions among the pro-Confederate Cherokees.